Cigar box



1934- A. ARATA 1,976,474

CIGAR BOX Filed May 1, 1933 Patented Oct. 9, 1934 I UNITED sTATEs PATENT*oFFicE 1 Claim.

This invention relates to an improved cigar box and seeks, among otherobjects, to overcome the common defect of conventional boxes, namely,that the box lid, after becoming warped cannot '5 ,be tightly closed.

The invention seeks, accordingly, as a further object, to provide a boxwherein provision will be made to permit tight closing of the lid,should the lid become warped, so that the cigars contained in the boxmay be maintained in fresh condition.

And the invention seeks, as a still further object, to provide a boxwherein the present improvements will involve no great change in thestructural make-up of the box and wherein the improved box may bemanufactured and sold at a cost not higher than conventional boxes.

With the foregoing and other objects in view,

the invention consists in certain novel details of construction andcombinations of parts hereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is a perspective view showing acigar box embodying the present improvements,

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view through the box and showing, indotted lines, the possibility of tightly closing the lid even though thelid has become warped, and

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 showing, in dotted lines, theimpossibility of tightly closing the warped lid of a box not embodyingthe present improvements.

As is well-known, the demand of the smoker is for moist or fresh cigarsand accordingly, when cigars are first packed in wooden boxes, as nowcommonly used, the cigars are in a moist condition. These boxes are thenpacked in more or less dry storerooms with the result that the outersurfaces of the boxes become dry. Consequently, when the storekeeperopens such a box and places it upon his shelf, the inside surfaces ofthe box have absorbed some of the moisture from the cigars with theresult that the inside surface of the lid expands and the outsidesurface of the lid contracts, the lid becoming warped to bow or curvedownwardly. As a result, the lid cannot subsequently be tightly closedso that the cigars within the box are exposed to the atmosphere andbecome dry and undesirable to the smoker. The 5Q .present invention aimsto solve this difficulty.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing. I have shown a boxembodying front and back walls 10 and 11, end walls 12 which projectabove the upper edges of the front and back walls,

55 a bottom wall 13 and a lid 14. Extending along the rearlongitudinalmargin of the lid as well as the upper margin of the back wall 11 is asuitable binding 15 providing a hinge for the lid, said binding beingusually of cloth. The customary lining, indicated at 16, which overliesthe 60 inner side of the lid and the inner surfaces of the box body,cooperates with the binding 15 to hingedly support the lid. The lid isnormally flat and is movable to rest against the upper edges of thefront and back walls of the box body, lying flush with the upper edgesof the end walls 12 for tightly closing the box. All of the walls of thebox body as well as the lid are preferably of wood, as is customary.

Attention is now particularly directed to the fact that the upper edgeof the back wall 11 is beveled downwardly and inwardly, as indicated at17. Thus, when the lid is closed, the lid contacts the upper edge of theback wall only at the apex of its angle with the outer surface of saidwall. A joint between the lid and the back wall is thus established sothat while the lid serves its function to tightly close the box body,clearance is, nevertheless, provided between the lid and the slopingsurface of the upper edge of the back wall. In all instances, the angleof the beveled upper edge of the back wall will be such that theclearance will be sufiicient to accommodate a maximum warping of thelid. 1

Assuming now that the lid becomes warped and thus assumes a downwardlybowed shape, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2, it will be seen thatthe clearance provided by the beveled edge 1'7 of the back wall 11 willaccommodate the curved contour of the lid so that even though the lid isdished, the lid may, nevertheless, be freely swung to rest at its freelongitudinal margin against the upper edge of the front wall 10 whilethe margin of the lid adjacent the hinge binding 15 will rest againstthe apex of the beveled edge of the back wall 11 so that the lid willtightly close the box. Evaporation of moisture from cigars containedwithin the box will thus be prevented so that by keeping the lid closed,the cigars may be maintained in a fresh condition, even though the lidis warped.

In Fig. 3, the triangular shaped cut-away portion of the back wall 11severed by the beveling of the upper edge of said wall is indicated indotted lines at 18 and, as will at once be seen,

should the lid become warped to assume the dished shape shown in dottedlines in this figure of the drawing, the rear lower margin of the lidwould abut the portion 18 of the back wall and prevent a completeclosing movement. Thus,the lid, as

in ordinary boxes, would be held in open position as shown in dottedlines. As will be perceived, beveling of the upper edge of the back wall11, in accordance with the present improvements, eliminates thisdifficulty so that the lid may be tightly closed at all times. a

In connection with the hinge 15 of the box lid, it is to be noted thatwhen this hinge is formed of cloth, said cloth absorbs moisture from thecigars contained in the box and thus shrinks so that although the boxlid is apparently notwarpedin any way still, due to the shrinking of thecloth of the hinge, said hinge will prevent the tight closing of thelid. Accordingly, unless the lid is nailed, the hinge will hold the lidpartly open. Furthermore, when wet glue or other ad,-

hesive is applied to the border strips or lining of the box, the gluewill, as it dries, cause shrinking with the result that the hinge willbe caused to hold the box lid open. As will be seen, the presentimprovements will avoid these difiiculties so that the lid may, at alltimes, close tightly.

Having thus described the invention, I claim:

A cigar box including a body having back, front and end walls, and a lidhinged to the back wall and movable to closed position resting upon theupper edges of the back and front walls between the end walls, the upperedge of the back wall being beveled inwardly and downwardly from end toend to provide an unobstructed clearance between the underside of thelid and the inner side of the back Wall to permit closing of the lidwhenwarped.

ALBERT ARATA. Us]

